Kicking Out Problem Guests
Front Desk Operations
How do you throw out problem guests?
When do you decide to throw them out?
Here are a few things I've encountered:
Residency Laws
I think it's important to be aware of local residency laws (at least in the USA). In some states here if a guest stays longer than a certain period of time (e.g., 30 days), they legally become a resident and to throw them out of the hostel you have to follow tenant eviction rules instead of hotel rules.
Trespass Notices
At one city hostel I worked at there were quite a few problem guests. We would have to issue trespass notices for it to have any effect, otherwise they would often just sneak back in. The trespass notices would give the police the right to arrest the person if they came back on the property. Without the trespass notice, the police couldn't do anything except issue the trespass notice and give them a warning, and then the problem would tend to repeat itself.
Offering Alternatives:
Something that I've found useful when throwing someone out or when refusing to accept a guest is to provide a list of alternate accommodation options. When someone is under the impression that they are getting thrown out on the street and "have nowhere to go" they panic and can get insistent. If you have a sheet ready that lists other accommodation options in the city, you can give it to them as they start to protest. If they look like they might fit in at the local flophouse, you can even add, "...and it's cheaper too!" If they know they have somewhere to go, they don't resist as much. They may even say "thank you" on the way out :D
Keeping Track of Banned Guests:
At one hostel we used the front desk software to keep track of banned guests. Otherwise they would try to come back on a different shift and check in.
How to you ask problem guests to leave?
Do you give refunds when you have to ask someone to leave?
Do you keep track of banned guests? What system?
What is the worst situation you've encountered when having to throw a problem guest out?
- Comments
15 years
I just opened two months ago here in Missoula and am running into similar situations -- I am not always sure of the best course of action!
It's a little different for me because I'm small (12 beds), so one bad guest can really make things uncomfortable for everyone else. Because Missoula is a hub of sorts for transients here in Montana, I've already run into some tricky situations.
Sometimes it obvious they are drunk and it's easy to tell them they cannot stay here. But other times it's much more of a gray area. They may be sober and have a valid ID and cash, but there often something "off" with them that can make me (and guests) a little uneasy.
Are there any other small time operators out there who could lend some advice?! This is only going to become more of an issue as summer approaches.
15 years
Sometimes it obvious they are drunk and it's easy to tell them they cannot stay here. But other times it's much more of a gray area. They may be sober and have a valid ID and cash, but there often something "off" with them that can make me (and guests) a little uneasy.
Some ideas:
- When they show up and ask, "do you have a bed?" you can buy an extra minute or two to question them by pretending to check availability in the computer. Some people that appear normal at first glance will show signs of "shady" in their responses to the first couple of friendly questions :) (Where are you traveling from? etc.)
- Require an out-of-state, Government-issued ID (for US residents)
- Require a passport
- Require proof on onward travel (not always possible)
- Require a valid credit card (I've never done this, but I've heard of hostels doing it)
15 years
Thanks, that's all good advice.
I do require a valid ID, and I'm thinking about requiring a valid credit card ... the problem with that is many of my best guests pay in cash and there's never any reason to ask for a card.
15 years
Dealing with shady guests can be a challenge, especially in some places in the US. :)
15 years
Build a relationship with the local police department. I was at a hostel in South America where they needed to kick out a crazy lady. The owner called his friend in the police and they came over and kicked the lady out. Then the owner had one of his employees cook lunch for the police. :)
14 years
Requiring a long list of paperwork is a good way to get rid of the dodgy types before they even start causing any troubles. In the hostel I work at the moment it's not an official prerequisite for checking in, but I personally asked my manager to hang a 'government-issued id card AND credit card required for check-in' sign in a visible place. If a guest looks all right, I'll only bother with an id, but if there's something dubious in the first impression I insist on a credit card. The most dodgy ones usually fail to supply such.
My biggest problem however is always a guest who is simply annoying, both to staff members and the guests, without any definable (or easy to put in words) issue. You know, the type who would hang around the common areas, stand across the room and stare... Or just watch people's online activity, breathing heavily on their backs. Or, typical, smell so repulsively that, the moment they come in, all the guests, even non-smokers, feel a sudden urge to go for a fag :D I somehow find it difficult to say 'Sorry pal, fare thee well, you're invading people's personal space'. Especially that, once checked in, oh, they're here to stay.
Yesterday I lost my manners and simply said: we don't like you and we're a private business so I don't see why I have to explain my reasons to you. And I felt bad for the rest of the day ;)
What's your modus operandi? Sure, the easiest option is to say we have no availability but the greatest flaw of being the cheapest hostel in town is that I usually hear 'ahm, understood, when can I come back then?' Lamenting inside 'neeeveeeer', I try my second best shot: we're backpackers hostel, we only accept travellers. It is quite an unspecific rule and hardly convincing when I say that surrounded by 15 long-termers. And I can't be convincing when I'm not convinced myself. So? ;)
14 years
What's your modus operandi?
I used to keep a list of all the other hostels and budget hotels in town. When declining someone or kicking them out, I would give them a copy of the list and assist them as much as possible -- even calling the crappier hostels down the street to help them book a dorm bed. Their biggest worry is usually whether they're going to have a place to sleep.
10 years
I can usually quickly spot the type of guest who would want to make the hostel their residence. When anyone new checks in I ask them how long they expect to stay. If the answer is anything more than 3-4 days, I immediately tell them that we have a maximum 1 week stay policy. 99% of our visitors are fine with that because they have no intentions of making the hostel their permanent residence. If they have a strong negative reaction to that statement, then I know I have avoided a future disaster! What nobody knows at that initial moment is that we don't really have that kind of policy. We just say we do in order to identify and avoid future problems. If the person legitimately needs to stay for a longer period of time (tourism is usually the legitimate reason), we will let them think that we are making an exception and allow them to extend their stay. But if it is some old geezer that just wants to live in a cheap dorm bed for a few months, well now we have covered our asses by warning him right when he checks in. So he won't take it personally 5 or 6 days later when we start reminding him that his maximum stay is almost over and it's time to start thinking about moving on..............
8 years
Hi everyone!
This is a cool thread and definitley makes me feel less alone and crazy =) On one hand, it's easier for us. We are a membership-based hostel guided by the 10 Principles of Burning Man. So, if we get someone in that seems to be a creeper, we just say "Have you been to Burning Man? Do you know what that is? Do you know the 10 Principles?"....sometimes that does it. AND, if the person is really cool, but doesn't know the culture, we will tell and educate them, as long as they are receptive.
And then, there's the fact that we are on a corner next to the local homeless shelter. Add to that that our area, after being hit hard with the housing crisis, is now one of the fastest growing cities in the Nation because a Tesla factory is being built in our town, and we do DO do both short term and longer term lodging. It's a constant juggling act....
In order to deal with the homeless, if someone is a Reno resident, we have a maximum stay of three days per month. If someone makes friends with someone who's a longer term resident, longer term residents can have guests a maximum of three days per week. If we notice that someone new to us is bed-hopping from resident to resident, we explain this is not allowed. In order to qualify for our long-term residency program, you have to hang out and let people get to know you a minimum of one week, this is after obtaining a membership. Then, you can rent a short term room for two weeks, where everyone else in the "house" gets to know you, and you take on a house chore. There is an application process for long term residency where you have to a) affirm your ability to pay rent b) agree to abide by member guidelines (which we think pretty much boil down to 'don't be a dick'), c) sign up for a chore each week, and d) do ONE THING, each month, to further the mission of the Morris. This can be taking on a special project, contributing to the newsletter or other media/advertising/street teaming, blog, etc., doing art, teaching art or another workshop of an area of interest or expertise, hosting or leading an event, of anything for which they can get credit. We have a "triad" of three residents that overseas the chores, quality checks that everything has been done, and weekly house meetings to discuss and communicate about issues. After the two week trial, the Triad talks to all the people staying long term in the hostel and gets a sense of the person. If everyone likes them, they can move to the long-term rooms on the third floor. If there are issues, constructive feedback is given to the individual and they get two more weeks to try and see if they fit in. We accept more than we've rejected, but both have happened. We are wanting to work towards more hostel activity and fewer long term residents. The single hardest thing to deal with is drama between the long term residents.
All things stated above are how everything is SUPPOSED to work, if it goes ideally. It still goes sideways a lot, we still have to kick people out, we still get creepers, and there's still yucky stuff.
And it's amazing, and I love it, too!
Gemini
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